Government forces on Sunday lost control of Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city, for the first time since the conflict began in 2011, according to a war monitor.
The Islamist-dominated rebel alliance, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a lightning assault that dealt a severe blow to President Bashar al-Assad‘s Russian- and Iranian-backed regime.
The offensive, which began on Wednesday, coincided with a fragile ceasefire in neighboring Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, following two months of intense conflict. The rebels now control almost all of Aleppo, except for neighborhoods held by Kurdish forces.
“Since the civil war started more than a decade ago, this is the first time Aleppo is out of the control of Syrian regime forces,” Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Observatory, told AFP.
In response to the rebel advance, Russian aircraft staged multiple airstrikes in Aleppo and the neighboring Idlib province. The Observatory reported that four Russian strikes near Aleppo University killed at least five people on Sunday, while another strike in Idlib claimed the lives of eight civilians, including two children and a woman.
Kurdish forces expand grip
As the regime’s grip on Aleppo collapsed, Kurdish forces, led by the YPG militia, moved into previously government-held areas of the city. However, tensions between the Kurds and the rebel alliance have escalated, with reports of planned confrontations targeting Kurdish positions in northern Aleppo.
The YPG, which has historically clashed with other rebel factions in northern Syria, now controls critical areas in Aleppo.
Significance of Aleppo’s fall
Aleppo, once Syria’s largest city and economic hub, has been a focal point throughout the conflict. The city, home to a Unesco World Heritage Site, was a key rebel stronghold until it fell to government forces in 2016 with the support of Russian air power and Hezbollah fighters.
Rebel forces, once confined to Idlib, are now regaining territory and challenging Assad’s regime on multiple fronts.